Refugiado

In Diego Lerman's Refugiado, the threat is invisible but all the more omnipresent, and freedom comes at a very high price. This drama thriller was one of the great discoveries at the 2014 Cannes film festival, and it is told from the perspective of Matias, a seven-year old boy. We become anxious on his behalf from the very beginning of the film, as he waits in vain for his mother Laura to pick him up from the birthday party of one of his friends. He wonders why she doesn't show up, only to find her lying unconscious on the floor of their apartment later that night. In the hospital later on we realise that Matias' father Fabian has beaten her badly, that she is pregnant, and that something terrible might happen if Fabian finds the two of them.

Refugiado follows mother and son from one emergency ward to the next, and the next, until Laura at one point decides that their only option is to escape on their own. The camera stays close on Laura and Matias, and plot points and information is selectively portioned out to us, which makes the film almost unbearingly tense at times. Diego Lerman masterfully conveys the confusion Matias feels, the precariousness of his situation, and how he and his mother face a highly uncertain future. In this regard, the film gives us little to hope for, but also lets us experience moments of sheer bliss when Laura and Matias can forget all their troubles and just be a family.

In his preparation for the film, Diego Lerman spoke to many victims of family violence. The thorough research has resulted in a empathic and disturbing film, lifted by brilliant performances by Sebastian Molinaro and Julieta Diaz in the leading roles. Cato Fossum

Diego Lerman (b. 1976) from Buenos Aires is one of the leading figures in contemporary Argentinian cinema. He also works as a film and TV producer. Lerman has written (with regular co-writer Maria Meira) and directed five award-winning feature films.